Review of Frances Ha (2013) by Nick O — 22 Dec 2013

Prime Woody Allen (whatever that means) painted New York as something arching; joyous but dark. So does Noah Baumbach with "Frances Ha", his best directorial effort since 2005's "The Squid & the Whale". It could have been fast-talking and flat, jaded by an empty, over-privileged wit. Good thing -- GREAT thing, even -- is that it doesn't. Like TV's "Girls", the big-city struggle of "Frances" is scary and true, and Baumbach and Greta Gerwig -- who co-wrote the script with real life partner Baumbach and is seriously good in the title role -- relate the constant post-college try of 27-year-old dancer Frances to a question of how to make it as an artist, or just make it, period, when daily life is treated as more and more of a hassle.

Living on the edge can still be like facing down a cliff, or up a mountain, but it can also be dulled by permanence. I guess you learn to love the little things. "Frances Ha" is nothing if not in tune with its own crazy, genuine warmth and feeling. It manages to be a tenderly introspective character piece without pushing away the audience. Call it lyricism, and one of the year's most memorable films. (95/100).